89.8 percent of the over 25.73 lakh voters exercised their franchise for the Assembly polls on Sunday, 18 February, in Tripura, where the BJP is trying to dislodge the Left Front after an unbroken 25-year stint in power.

The CPI(M) contested in 57 seats and the other Left Front constituents – the RSP, Forward Bloc and CPI – in one seat each. The BJP forged an alliance with tribal outfit Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), and fielded 51 candidates. IPFT is contesting in the remaining nine seats. The Congress went solo in Tripura this time and is contesting in 59 seats.

Exit Polls Predictions

NewsX has predicted a victory for the BJP alliance, ending a 25-year run of the Left Front in the state. The TV channel gave the BJP alliance 35-45 seats and said the Left Front will bag 14-23 seats while one seat will be won by others.

On the other hand, Centre for Voting Opinion & Trends in Election Research (CVoter), a Delhi-based agency, hinted at a close fight and predicted that the CPI(M) and Left parties will win in 26-34 seats with 44.3 percent vote share. It predicted the BJP alliance to win in 24-32 seats with a vote share of 42.8 percent and said the Congress might win in two seats with 7.2 percent vote share.

What Local TV Channels Predicted

Kok Tripura, a cable TV channel popular among the tribals, which broadcasts programmes in Kokbarak – the language of more than 10 lakh tribals in the state – predicted that the CPI(M) could win only in 4-7 ST reserved seats while the BJP alliance could win in 13-16 seats.

It said, the Congress, TMC and others would have no presence in the reserved seats.

English newspapers of the region like Tripura Times also point out that last time around, 28 seats were won by the Left with a margin of less than 2,000 votes. A slight swing of votes in these crucial seats can change the political scenario of the state.